cutworm

C3U1T1W4O1R1M3

noun

The larva of any of the many moths of the family Noctuidae, considered an agricultural pest.

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Meanings

nouncutworm (plural cutworms)

plural cutworms

  1. The larva of any of the many moths of the family Noctuidae, considered an agricultural pest.

    I listened while they discussed putting stove ash at the base of tomato plants to keep off cutworms or Mama bragged on how fast I was learning to read.

    2013, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass, 1st edition, Milkweed Editions, →ISBN, page 74

Origin

From cut + worm, from the habit of eating through the stem of plants, or possibly from cutty (“short”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 地蠶 /地蚕
  • 地蠶 /地蚕 (dìcán)larva
Finnish toukka
  • toukkalarva
Hawaiian ʻenuhe hele pō
  • ʻenuhe hele pōlarva
Cite this entry
APA

cutworm. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cutworm

MLA

“cutworm.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cutworm. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cutworm,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cutworm.

Source: cutworm on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.